Valvular Cardiomyopathy in Aortic Valve Regurgitation Correlates with Myocardial Fibrosis.

At the tissue level, disruption of the extracellular matrix network leads to irreversible cardiac fibrosis, which contributes to myocardial dysfunction. At the myocyte level, downregulation of beta-adrenoceptors (beta-AR) reduces adaptation to increased workload. The aim of our study was to analyse the correlation between myocardial fibrosis and beta-AR sensitivity in patients with aortic valve (AV) disease.

Antegrade axillary arterial perfusion in 3D endoscopic minimally-invasive mitral valve surgery.

Background: Minimally-invasive (MIS) mitral valve (MV) surgery has become standard therapy in many cardiac surgery centers. While femoral arterial perfusion is the preferred cannulation strategy in MIS mitral valve surgery, retrograde arterial perfusion is known to be associated with an increased risk for cerebral atheroembolism, particularly in atherosclerosis patients. Therefore, antegrade perfusion may be beneficial in such cases.

Piezo2 is not an indispensable mechanosensor in murine cardiomyocytes.

A short-term increase in ventricular filling leads to an immediate (Frank-Starling mechanism) and a slower (Anrep effect) rise in cardiac contractility, while long-term increased cardiac load (e.g., in arterial hypertension) decreases contractility.

Economic impact of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Background: ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) is a multidisciplinary and integrative approach with the goal of optimizing the postoperative recovery. We aimed to analyze the economic impact of a newly established ERAS protocol in minimally invasive heart valve surgery at our institution.

Methods: ERAS protocol was implemented in 61 consecutive patients who were referred for elective minimally-invasive aortic or mitral valve surgery, between February 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 (ERAS-group).

Subannular repair for functional mitral regurgitation type IIIb in patients with ischaemic versus dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is a sequel of left ventricular (LV) remodelling in heart failure patients. Relocation of both papillary muscles aims to specifically address mitral leaflet tethering to improve long-term durability of modern FMR repair. Nevertheless, the prognostic impact of the underlying cardiomyopathy on the outcome after FMR repair is unknown.

Blunted beta-adrenoceptor-mediated inotropy in valvular cardiomyopathy: another piece of the puzzle in human aortic valve disease.

Objectives: Heart failure induced by valvular cardiomyopathy occurs in a substantial proportion of patients undergoing heart valve surgery. We aimed (i) to quantify beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) function by measuring the inotropic effect of isoprenaline in left ventricular (LV) tissue and (ii) to correlate beta-AR-mediated inotropy with clinical markers of heart failure.

Methods: A total of 179 LV myocardial samples were obtained from 104 consecutive patients who underwent aortic valve (AV) surgery between 2017 and 2019.

Acute stimulation of the soluble guanylate cyclase does not impact on left ventricular capacitance in normal and hypertrophied porcine hearts in vivo.

Experimental data indicate that stimulation of the nitric oxide-soluble guanylate cyclase(sGC)-cGMP-PKG pathway can increase left ventricular (LV) capacitance via phosphorylation of the myofilamental protein titin. We aimed to test whether acute pharmacological sGC stimulation with BAY 41-8543 would increase LV capacitance via titin phosphorylation in healthy and deoxycorticosteroneacetate (DOCA)-induced hypertensive pigs. Nine healthy Landrace pigs and 7 pigs with DOCA-induced hypertension and LV concentric hypertrophy were acutely instrumented to measure LV end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (EDPVRs) at baseline and during intravenous infusion of BAY 41-8543 (1 and 3 μg·kg·min for 30 min, respectively).

Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes cultured in 3D engineered heart tissue show physiological upstroke velocity and sodium current density.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) are a promising tool for drug testing and modelling genetic disorders. Abnormally low upstroke velocity is a current limitation. Here we investigated the use of 3D engineered heart tissue (EHT) as a culture method with greater resemblance to human heart tissue in comparison to standard technique of 2D monolayer (ML) format.

Akrinor, a Cafedrine/ Theodrenaline Mixture (20:1), Increases Force of Contraction of Human Atrial Myocardium But Does Not Constrict Internal Mammary Artery .

Intraoperative hypotension is a common problem and direct or indirect sympathomimetic drugs are frequently needed to stabilize blood pressure. Akrinor consists of the direct and the indirect sympathomimetic noradrenaline and norephedrine. Both substances are covalently bound to the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor theophylline, yielding theodrenaline and cafedrine, respectively.

The challenge of valve-in-valve procedures in degenerated Mitroflow bioprostheses and the advantage of using the JenaValve transcatheter heart valve.

Aims: Recently, the feasibility of valve-in-valve procedures using current first-generation transcatheter heart valves (THV) in cases of structural valve degeneration has been reported as an alternative to conventional open repeat valve replacement. By design, certain biological valve xenografts carry a high risk of coronary ostia occlusion due to lateral displacement of leaflets after valve-in-valve procedures. In the present report we aimed to prove feasibility and safety of transapical valve-in-valve implantation of the JenaValve THV in two cases of degenerated Mitroflow bioprostheses.

Single-centre experience with next-generation devices for transapical aortic valve implantation.

Objectives: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established procedure in patients with aortic stenosis and high surgical risk. Experience with first-generation transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is broad but limitations, e.g.

Cancer-testis antigen expression and its epigenetic modulation in acute myeloid leukemia.

Cancer-testis antigens (CTA) represent attractive targets for tumor immunotherapy. However, a broad picture of CTA expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is missing. CTA expression was analyzed in normal bone marrow (BM) as well as in AML cell lines before and after treatment with demethylating agents and/or histone acetylase inhibitors.